More encouragement for top Australian male “Super Senior” Golfers (65+) and the introduction of a National Order of Merit for Australia’s senior women amateur golfers are among recently announced changes to the sport.

The men’s Order of Merit competition has been expanded to include a full set of medals for the 65 and over players and medals will now be awarded to the top three golfers in this age group.

In addition, a Super Senior Matchplay Championship for the over 65 group will be played at the same time as the Australian Senior Matchplay Championship. A field of 8 players will contest the event in 2009 which will be played at Barwon Heads Golf Club.
Among other changes Golf Australia announced for new Australian Amateur Ranking Systems was the introduction of a National Order of Merit for Australia’s senior women amateur golfers.
The system used for this competition will be the same as that for senior men, with every event played used in calculating an average points score. The minimum divisor for senior women in this introductory year is 4 events.
The first event recorded was the 2008 ACT Senior Women’s Championship and the current leader in the Women’s Order of Merit is Liz Smyth from the Royal Canberra Golf Club. She leads from Nicky Moon from Federal Golf Club and Chris Taylor also from Royal Canberra.

Golf Australia says new Amateur Ranking Systems now underway will provide players, as well as the industry, a great opportunity to monitor the movements in the standings across all age groups at the peak of men’s and women’s amateur golf.

For 2009, Australian Amateur Ranking Systems will be conducted in six categories – open men and women, boys’ and girls’ and senior men and senior women (55+).

The player with the highest points average at 31 October 2009 will be recognised as the winner of their respective Ranking System.

The Australian Amateur Ranking Systems are provided as a service to Australian golf as well as to achieve the following objectives:

• To replace the use of handicaps as the primary entry standard for national amateur championships. This will provide a fairer and better outcome for players, and Golf Australia encourages all other domestic operators of elite amateur events to consider adopting the same improved procedure.

• To be used as a supporting tool for team selection.

• To increase participation in the events which count towards a player’s Ranking Average.

Each System will be points-based, and will operate over a 12-month rolling period. All National Championships and each State’s Amateur Championships in the respective Systems will count towards a player’s average, in addition to various other major events nominated by the States, including those which have been National Ranking Events in the past.

Players’ points are determined by their finishing positions in each event and the events themselves will be weighted with the events traditionally attracting the strongest fields being awarded the most points.

Golf Australia says the Systems are sure to be highly competitive and will provide vast interest for amateur golfers of all ages and genders, in particular Girls’ and Senior Women where previously there has been no similar ranking system operating.

The Karrie Webb Series will continue to operate in conjunction with the Women’s Open Ranking System.

Full details.

The 2009 Australian Men’s Mid Amateur Golf Championship, open to golfers aged 30 to 54 with a handicap less than 7.4, will be played from January 20 - 22 at The National Golf Club on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.

The 2008 event was a huge success with Victoria’s Jason Perry finishing strongly to take the title.

As Perry discovered, winning the championship gives a direct exemption to the Australian Open, and next year’s winner will have the opportunity to play in the 2009 Australian Open at the New South Wales Golf Club.

All three courses at the National Golf Club - The Old Course, Moonah and Ocean Courses - will be utillised for the 54 hole event in January.

Golf Australia says the National is a fantastic golfing facility and a one of its kind in Australia that will provide a fantastic challenge for players from all parts of the country.

Trevor Herden, Golf Australia Director of Championships, said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for the golfers in this demographic to test their skills against their peers over three championship courses at one of the best facilities in the country.”

What: 2009 Australian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship
When: 20 – 22 January 2009
Where: The National GC, Victoria
Format: 54 holes stroke play (max 120 players)
Courses: The Old Course, Moonah and Ocean Courses ( 1 round on each)
Handicap Limit: 7.4
Location: 10 The Cups Drive, Cape Schanck (Mornington Peninsula), Victoria
Entry Fee: $150.00 (on-line); or $170.00 (mail, fax, or e-mail)
Entries Open: 28 October 2008
Entry Close: 5 January 2009

Golf Australia Championship Entry Form

The current and four time Australian Women’s Senior Amateur Golf Champion, Sylvia Donohoe will be defending her title in Tasmania later this month.

The Australian Women’s Senior Amateur Championship and the Women’s Mid Amateur Golf Championships will both be held at the Ulverstone Golf Club in Ulverstone.

Golf Australia says strong fields have assembled for both events, with the extended entry period closing this Friday October 3.

Joining Donohoe (NSW) on the trek to Tasmania will be last year’s runner-up Deirdre Brander.

Other contenders include Sue Wooster, Helen Stewart, Ros Fisher and Lynne Townsend.

The Australian Women’s Mid Amateur Championship is in its second year and the field is also looking strong, with 2007 Champion Julie Swanson from NSW looking to defend her title.

Julie’s likely rivals include Gemma Dooley and Kim Burke. 

Entry Forms and other details can be found the Golf Australia website here.

Australian Women ‘s Senior Amateur

When: 27-31 October 2008
Where: Ulverstone Golf Club, Ulverstone, Tasmania
Format: 36 holes stroke play followed by match play
Handicap Limit: 22.4
Age: 55 years and over
Club website: Ulverstone Golf Club
Location: Lobster Creek Road, ULVERSTONE TAS 7315
Entry Fee: $85.00
Entry Close: Entries extended to 3 October 2008

Australian Women’s Mid Amateur Championship

What: 2008 Australian Women’s Mid Amateur Championship
When: 27-29 October 2008
Where: Ulverstone Golf Club, Ulverstone, Tasmania
Format: 54 holes stroke play
Handicap Limit: 18.4
Age: Between 30 and 54 years
Club website: Ulverstone Golf Club
Location: Lobster Creek Road, ULVERSTONE TAS 7315
Entry Fee: $85.00
Entry Close: Entries extended to 3 October 2008

QUEENSLANDER Stephen Pitt has been named as the new chief executive of Golf Australia.

Pitt is an experienced sports administrator and was selected from more than 160 applicants after the resignation of former CEO Tony Hallam in June.

As CEO of Golf Queensland for the past two and a half years, Pitt played a key role in the successful merging of the Queensland Golf Union and Women’s Golf Queensland.

Pitt, a 10-handicapper at Brisbane Golf Club, was previously CEO of Athletics Queensland for five years and has also worked in marketing roles for the Queensland Olympic Council and Surf Lifesaving Queensland.

“I’m very excited about the appointment, which gives me an opportunity to make a contribution to the game in Australia,” Pitt said. “I’m disappointed to be leaving Golf Queensland, but this is a chance to take a step forward.”

Golf Australia chairman Anne Lenagan said Pitt was the ideal person to lead the organisation into the future.

“After an extensive search, we believe his experience in sports administration and marketing makes Stephen the ideal appointment,” she said.

Pitt will formally begin his position in early November.

The PGA of Australia has come out swinging at suggestions the sport in Australia is in disarray and that interest in golf is declining.

PGA of Australia chief executive Max Garske says reported unflattering comparisons with the Greg Norman era are misleading.

His statements follow the release of the 208 Sweeney Sports Report and some related media commentary.

Garske disputed the Sweeney report’s findings that golf “suffered most” over the last 12 months with claimed “record lows” in relation to participation and television viewing.

“The Sweeney Report and the consequential media commentary have painted a flawed and potentially damaging picture of the Australian Golf Industry,” Garske said in a statement.

Among the report findings were that the proportion of people who watch golf on TV had dropped to 19 per cent, down from a peak of 42 per cent in 1990-91 - when Norman was the No.1 player in the world.

It also said overall public interest in the game was at an all-time low of 23 per cent, down from last year’s 31 per cent, and the proportion of Australians who said they played golf, 14 per cent, was the survey’s lowest ever.

“Australian golf is constantly compared to the time when Greg Norman was at the peak of his game,” Garske said.

“The sports and media landscape of the 1990s bears little resemblance today.

“Consider this. Of Greg Norman’s 20 international victories only two were shown live on Australian TV compared to all 87 of Tiger Woods’ victories being beamed into Australian homes.

“People consume their golf interest in different ways today and their ability to consume it when and how they like is virtually unlimited.

“It is misleading to compare a domestic free to air audience of 2008 to one in 1990.”

The PGA produced its own statistics, from a number of sources, including that:

• The Australian Government’s Exercise, Recreation and Sport Survey (ERASS) found that over 1.13 million Australians play golf each year. This is around 7 percent of the total population aged over 15 years
• Between 2001 and 2006, golf remained second on the ERASS Top Ten organised sport activities list, behind only aerobics/fitness and ahead of netball, tennis, all football codes, cricket, basketball and lawn bowls
• The Australian Golf Industry directly employs over 23,000 people and has an annual economic value to the Australian GDP of $2.7 billion - by far the greatest sport/industry contributor to the Australian economy (source: Ernst & Young (2006))
• Australia currently has over 100 male PGA professional’s playing on international golf circuits, including 24 on the US PGA TOUR, which includes 12 ranked in the Top 100 Official World Golf Rankings and two, Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott, in the top five (source: Official World Golf Rankings as of 29 June 2008)
• Australia currently has 30 female Professionals playing on international circuits, including 10 in the Top 200 Rolex Rankings with Karrie Webb at World Number 5 (source: Women’s World Golf Rankings as of 30 June 2008)
• Over 39 percent of all golfers maintain golf club membership (source: Golf Australia, 2008)
• In 2006/07 over 31,000,000 rounds of golf were played - a steady result over the past three years (source: Golf Australia, 2008)
• In 2007 over 1,535,000 dozen golf balls were sold in Australia compared to 1,472,000 dozen in 2004 (source: Aust. Sporting Goods Assn (ASGA) Golf Surveys 2001-07)
• Total wholesale sales of all golf equipment in Australia increased by nearly $20 million between 2001 and 2007 to $166.6 million (source: ASGA Golf Surveys 2001-07)

 Garske pointed to the amalgamation of golf governing bodies in this country in recent years to answer criticism that the game is too fragmented.

And he suggested some media reports read too much into problems finding financial backing for some major tournaments in Australia.

“By itself, a golf tournament in Australia without a naming rights sponsor is not the sole barometer of popularity, support or interest in golf here,” he said.

“It is evident from broader analysis that the state of the Australian golf industry is far from dire. Never in history has the industry worked so closely together in an effort to develop the game at every level and, contrary to recent speculation, we are extremely confident of a promising future.”

 See the full PGA statement here

Do you think your inspirational leadership could make a difference to golf in Australia? Well, Golf Australia is searching for a new CEO following the resignation of Tony Hallam.

The organisation has posted the following details:

Golf Australia is the peak body responsible for the leadership, marketing, promotion and development of amateur golf throughout Australia from grassroots through participation, golfing pathways, elite development and the Australian Golf Opens.

As CEO, you will lead, inspire and implement the strategic vision for golf in Australia, as well as develop and foster effective collaborative relationships with all stakeholders of Golf Australia. Reporting to the Board, you will drive golf to the next level and ensure its popularity, development and international competitiveness experience significant growth.

You have extensive experience working with a Board at an executive level in a market driven organisation, preferably within the sports industry. You are a strategically minded leader with a high degree of empathy and a proven ability to manage complex relationships with a diverse range of stakeholder groups.

In addition to an impressive record of commercial, stakeholder and human resource management, you will have excellent communication skills, a track record in attracting and securing corporate sponsorships, and success in dealing with TV networks and the media. A passion for golf is a given.

Click here to see the full job application

Golf Australia has announced a number of changes to the Australian golf handicapping system - including increasing the maximum men’s handicap from 27.4 to 36.4 and new provisions cracking down on players suspected of “manipulating” their handicaps.

 The handicap increase will be welcome news to many older golfers still wanting to compete effectively in club competitions, and getting rid of handicap “cheats” is always a great idea.

 New regulations will also allow handicap increases where players are recovering from injuries, illness or other justifiable reasons.

 Golf Australia says raising the handicap level to 36.4 will mean 12 percent of players will see their Australian Men’s Handicaps increase. As many of these players already have Club Handicaps beyond 27, the real impact in terms of pace of play may only relate to about 6 percent of players.

 Golf Australia Manager, Rules & Handicapping, Simon Magdulski said the positive outcomes of the change, which comes into effect on September 1, would include:

•  Players whose golf diminishes over time due to age will be better encouraged to remain actively engaged in competitions and club life.
•  Beginners will be better encouraged to become actively engaged in golf and club life.
•  Australia will move to being more in-line with global trends. (Most of the rest of the world already has a maximum men’s handicap of 36, including the USA and Europe)

 Golf Australia said there had been strong support for the move and although there was a potential for a slight change in the pace of play for Stableford and Par competitions, this should be minimal. Other measures could be taken if this was a concern.

 Two other changes were announced including the removal of the lower limit on Australian Women’s and Men’s Handicaps.
If a player has an exact Australian Handicap of +0.6 or greater, their respective playing Australian Men’s or Women’s Handicap will now be the rounded figure.

 The third change involves new regulations which will govern the process by which a club, Member State or Golf Australia may “manually” adjust a player’s handicap.

 Golf Australia noted three scenarios where handicaps could be “manually” adjusted:

•  Handicaps are intended to enable players to compete in handicap events on even terms. When a player is showing better form than their handicap or is showing an increased interest in playing better golf but is not returning cards which lead to an automatic reduction in handicap, and the improvement, current ability, or some other justifiable circumstances make it apparent to the Handicap Manager/Committee that the player is over-handicapped, their handicap may be reduced. This should not be a penalty for lack of scores but solely to provide uniformity in handicapping among all who play handicap golf.
•  A player’s handicap may also be increased for players who may be recovering from injuries, illness or other justifiable reason. Such alterations may be effected at any time because the circumstances which give rise to this unusual step may be such as to require fairly prompt action in fairness to all concerned.
•  When a player’s returns give rise to suspicion they may be attempting to “manipulate a handicap”, or are in serious breach of this System or the Rules of Golf or Etiquette (as contained in the Rules of Golf booklet), the Home Club is empowered to investigate the player’s performances and, if considered warranted, temporarily suspend their Australian and/or Club Handicap.

 These new manual adjustment regulations replace “Re-Assessment” under Section 6 of the current Australian Women’s Handicapping System, and Section 9 of the current Australian Men’s Handicapping System.

For full details of the changes, including a Q & A Document, see the official Golf Australia notice here.

Defending Australian Open Champion Craig Parry and world number five Geoff Ogilvy have confirmed they will be starters when the tournament returns to Royal Sydney Golf Club later this year.
The official Royal Sydney announcement was made at a media conference this week. The 93rd Australian Open will run from December 11 to 14.
In a pre-recorded interview, Craig Parry said he was delighted the open was returning to Royal Sydney, as it is a course he loves, but, “It doesn’t love me, though. I’ve never seemed to play well around there.”
Golf Australia chief executive officer Tony Hallam announced the triumphant return this week and is confident the field will be brimming with the best of home-grown talent.
“We have every expectation that all of the leading Australian players will be back to participate at Royal Sydney in the 2008 Australian Open,” Hallam said.
Hallam spoke to the nine Australians competing in the US Masters in Augusta last week and is confident the likes of Stuart Appleby, Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley will be back.
“We have the strongest group ever of Australian players, we have two in the top-10 (in the official world golf rankings), three in the top-20, 12 in the top-100,” he said.
Hallam did not rule out attempts to secure selected non-Australian stars of the USPGA Tour and said moves to lure players of interest had already begun.
“We had about 30 international players last year and we certainly had some positive discussions last week,” he said.
“But it’s very early in the year in terms of their schedules but I think one of the discussions with a very leading player last week, he knew the Open was in Sydney, he knew where it was being played.”
“The players are already talking about it.”

Golf Australia could be looking for a new chairman of its Open championship, with the position recently vacated by Paul McNamee. McNamee has departed to take up the role of CEO at the struggling Melbourne Demons AFL club.
Hallam is reported to have said no decision had been made to replace McNamee.
“Paul has done a wonderful job over the past couple of years and he is leaving us as a good friend of golf and Golf Australia in particular. Paul’s role was actually part-time, so there was a lot of work done around Paul by our team, and we’re looking for them to step up into additional roles. At this stage, we are not specifically looking to replace Paul.”

A replacement is definitely needed by Golf Australia for a major naming rights sponsor to replace MFS. The financial company is in dire straights with its shares suspended from the Stock Exchange.

 UPDATE 20/5/2008

World Number 4 Adam Scott and 2006 US Open winner Geoff Ogilvey have confirmed they will be joining defending champion Craig Parry at the 2008 Australian Open.

Unfortunately, Aaron Baddeley will miss the event. His wife Richellle is expecting thier first child in November and he has decided he will not be returning to Australia to play in any tournaments at the end of the year.